Apr 20 Radar images of 2014 JO25 from @NAICobservatory reveal shadows, possible boulders, and more on this 650+ m (twice as big as previously estimated) asteroid rotating in ~4.5 hours: "Arecibo radar observations revealed the asteroid to have a lumpy, two-lobed shape very reminiscent of Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko recently visited by the European Space Agency's Rosetta mission."

Credit: Arecibo Obs./NASA/NSF

Apr 29 CBET 4387 reports that minor planet (2881) is a binary system with an orbital period of 20.42 +/- 0.01 hr. Mutual eclipse/occultation events that are 0.09- to 0.15-magnitude deep indicate a secondary-to-primary mean-diameter ratio of 0.29 +/- 0.02.

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Comets & Asteroids news

Welcome to our Astronomy blog, devoted in particular to Comets & Asteroids and related topics. This blog is maintained by Italian amateur astronomer Ernesto Guido, particularly active in the study of the small bodies of the Solar System.